Clymene Urging Phaeton to Find Helios

Clymene rests against a massive, gnarled tree while her son Phaeton kneels before her in a state of distress. In the background to the left, Phaeton is shown being taunted by the youth Epaphus, while in the upper left, the sun god Helios appears driving his chariot through a break in the clouds. The scene is characterized by the stylized, muscular anatomy and complex landscape typical of late 16th-century Dutch engraving.

Phaeton's quest for the Sun was a central allegory in Renaissance Neoplatonism, representing the soul's yearning to return to its divine source. In the Western esoteric tradition, this myth served as a cautionary tale regarding the 'premature ascent' or the danger of attempting to master the celestial fires (the Great Work) without sufficient spiritual maturity.